Marex Spectron, the global commodities specialist, today announced that veteran agricultural brokerage team, the Matthews Group, has joined the firm to bolster its capabilities in North America. The Matthews Group brings to Marex North America a team of 12 industry specialists in grains and oilseeds, soft commodities and energies, led by Craig Matthews.
The Chicago-based group is now part of Marex North America, reporting to Jason Manumaleuna, CEO of the RCG division. The Matthews Group specialises in providing full-service execution and clearing services, as well as creating unique fundamental research on the physical agriculture market to commercial clients throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Clients include farmers, grain elevators, global soybean crushers, food companies, flour millers, livestock companies and financial fund investors, with many relationships spanning over 20 years.
Craig has over 30 years of experience in agricultural commodities, beginning his career in 1988 with Drexel Burnham Lambert, where he established the group, followed by 16 years at Citigroup Global Markets, where he established the commercial hedging division of the Salomon Smith Barney investment bank arm. Most recently the team was at ABN AMRO Clearing Chicago LLC for the past 12 years.
The move further builds on Marex capabilities in agricultural products execution and clearing in North America, following the firm’s February 2019 acquisition of the customer business of Rosenthal Collins Group (RCG) and recent appointment of Ram Vittal as CEO of Marex North America.
Ram commented: “We are very focused on expanding our North America business and are delighted to add the capabilities and deep experience of Craig and his team. The breadth of our commodity coverage and global reach makes Marex Spectron a significant force in the U.S. market.”
Craig added: “Being part of Marex Spectron will allow us to continue expanding our footprint in this industry. Our experience, aligned with the firm’s global infrastructure and product range, is a powerful and attractive proposition that will enable us to grow our franchise.”
